Dreaming Far
by Delusion Dreamer - Iota
Summary: No matter how far you've gone, chances are your mind is filled with memories from days gone past. Some are so notable you can't forget no matter what, while others are so simple they refuse to disappear. For Cave, this is one of the latter: just a normal conversation, with not a single speck of importance; and yet, that's exactly what makes it so important.


**Inspiration sure is a funny thing. You're there doing absolutely nothing, then suddenly you feel like doing something!**

 **Crazy, huh?**

 **In any case, this isn't really a full-blown story, just a brief scene that was in my mind. Technically, this is 'canon' for my stories, meaning it will have happened in any Hyperdimension fanfic I end up writing unless that's literally impossible. Kinda like most of the flashback scenes in my Cave x 5pb. story; you can't change the past, even if the future of that tale is shipping!**

 **In other words, this is just a small thing. Even so, I'm sure it'll still be worthwhile!**

 **... I hope so, at least.**

 **Therefore, without further delay, enjoy this daydream of mine!**

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 **Disclaimer: Yeeeeah, um... Why is this even a thing at this point?**

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 **•Dreaming Far•**

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Green.

In the sprawling grasslands of Leanbox, the color which jumps to the eyes before anything else is, predictably, green.

Under the morning's sky, the few white clouds doing little to block the comfortable warmth of the sun, lone trees wave lightly at the breezes which sweep the beautiful nation, creating an image nothing short of soothing.

As such, as she lies against a trunk under the shade of vibrant leaves, the teenaged, long-haired redhead can't help but let out a long yawn. Even through her plain black jeans and white T-shirt, the girl can still clearly feel the calming winds as her emerald eyes watch the scenery; at this rate, sleep might come quite soon...

"Hey, don't go passing out on me now!" a rather haughty, perhaps even snobbish voice comes from next to her. "Gosh, I told you studying until late wouldn't end well!"

With a drowsy expression, the redhead turns towards the direction from which what she'd easily describe as noise came. Its source, a short-haired greenette about the same age as her, is regarding her with a slightly narrowed scarlet eyes, this girl's silky white shorts planted on grass as her creamy green shirt waves around lightly with the wind.

It's also important to note both the mechanical pen in the greenette's right hand and the black notebook opened before her, supported by a pair of raised knees.

The redhead lets out a quiet chuckle at that.

"'You shouldn't study so much,' speaks the girl so troubled by her homework she forcibly dragged me away on a Sunday."

"D-Don't you get all snarky on me now, Cave!" the greenette snaps right back, narrowing her eyes. "Who's the one who got us into detention in the first place, huh?!"

"You didn't have to back me up."

"You didn't have to talk back to a teacher either!" the other girl shoots back instantly, huffing. "I know he was a douchebag, but that's no excuse for you to maim our free time like that!"

"And yet I've easily dealt with my assignments," the redhead retorts, a glint of playfulness in her otherwise relaxed gaze. "My, isn't it curious, Chi-Chi?"

"... Never call me that again," Chika deadpans, directing her sight back to her notebook. "And that doesn't count. I'm not even sure you're human in the first place; your living habits are _at least_ insane."

"Hm," Cave lets out as her eyes go back to focusing on the distance, quite obviously ignoring her friend's statement. "In any case, how is your history assignment? Need any help again?"

"No. The way you said 'again' really pisses me off," comes the greenette's dry response. "I'm not having any trouble with History, thank you very much. If anything, what I do have an issue with is how this one subject is presented; the bit about the end of the Console War just doesn't add up..."

"What doesn't?"

" _Everything_ doesn't," Chika replies, the sounds of flipping pages coming soon after. "It's like the books are trying to paint these ancient CPUs as both evil and good _at the same time_. I mean, if you get read between the words and ignore all the handwaves, they were horrifyingly authoritative _at best_ , and yet they're unparalleled heroes when the Deity of Sin comes for the first time!"

At that, the redhead just shrugs. "Relatively speaking, few wouldn't be heroes before such a being. I feel you are worrying too much about it."

It's then that a loud sigh comes, coupled with the sound of an object hitting grass. "That's not the issue here, I've seen this sort of inconsistency _everywhere_. The fact that I'm supposed to be writing about the Console War just makes it worse."

"And I still say you are overthinking it," Cave insists, even if half-heartedly, as she glances at the greenette, now sitting cross-legged as her notebook lies by the grass. "You shouldn't focus so much on events from the past or how they are told. Is it not better to focus on the present? Perhaps even the future?"

"... You're either too strict or too easygoing about everything, aren't you? Keep ignoring the past and you'll just screw up again and again," comes Chika's dry reply. Even so, she lets out a long sigh of resignation a moment later, glancing at the sky above. "Still, the future, huh... I'm starting to think you're enjoying poetry class a bit too much."

"Perhaps." The redhead shrugs, directing her sight straight ahead. "But these are my thoughts, anyway."

"Is that so..." the greenette mumbles in reply.

Just like that, silence befalls the two girls, only the sounds of rustling plants and blowing wind revealing themselves.

It's only minutes later that a voice sounds.

"Hey, Cave," Chika begins, still looking at the azure above. "You got any dreams? Something to do after graduating? And I'm not talking about being a magical girl," she adds in the end with a slight smirk. "I sure hope you gave up on that by now."

"... I most certainly did. You'll be no princess, either."

The greenette's smirk simply widens at that. "Says you."

"Also, I have no specifics planned at this point," the redhead responds with a shrug, pointedly ignoring the other girl. "My intention is to follow the easiest path I can find and see where it leads me to."

At that, her best friend can't help but let out a chuckle. "How surprisingly irresponsible of you. I'd have thought you'd be some kind of soldier, with your usual attitude."

"I might. Or I might not," is all Cave says in response. "And what of you? Any goals in sight?"

"Goals? Sure. In sight? Now that's debatable." By the redhead's side, Chika shifts in place, adjusting her position ever so slightly. "... I want to be the Oracle."

...

...

...

"Huh?"

In just a moment, Cave spins towards the other girl, eyeing her as if just told a bad joke. "Excuse me, but I think I misunderstood what you said. You wish to be the _Oracle_?"

"... _Yes_ ," Chika responds with a glare a moment later. "And you don't need to react like that. I mean, Grandpa Yvoire did it, right?"

"By _merit_ , that is," the redhead adds, as surprised as she can sound without her stern voice cracking. "I doubt you can take his place simply because you _feel like it_."

"What, you think I'm planning on _asking him nicely_?" The greenette huffs. "I intend to reach that spot by myself, alright?"

"You cannot even finish your assignments."

"Boxbirds and horsebirds!" Chika declares as she leans towards her friend, quite obviously worked up at this point. "Just because I can't deal with a certain someone landing me in trouble doesn't mean I can't do the job!"

"And just because you feel like it doesn't mean it's even a possibility for you." Cave lets out a sigh. "Honestly, from where did that even come from?"

At those words, the greenette seems to deflate, her expression faltering a bit before looking away. "... You know, having some sort of encouragement would help. By now, you're just saying stuff to kill my buzz."

"Where _did_ that come from, Chika?" the redhead repeats, shooting a glance anyone else' would have defined as uninterested at the other girl. "I have never heard you say anything about that before. And yet, I feel as if you wouldn't say something like that on a whim."

A reply doesn't come immediatelly, the greenette instead looking sheepishly at grass. It's only several seconds later that she finally speaks up.

"... I want power," Chika begins, not looking at the other girl. "I mean, not the 'conquer the world while laughing madly' sort, it's more that I want to leave a mark, I guess. You know, fight poverty, start projects to help people, actually deal with the whole metal resources issue, that sort of thing. Being that pretty rich girl with good grades isn't really cutting it for me."

Cave can only raise an eyebrow at that. "And so you decided to become the Oracle during an economical crisis?"

"Hey, I never said it was a _good_ goal," the greenette admits with a chuckle, bringing her sight back towards her friend. "Besides, it's not just about making the world a better place and all that stuff. It's just... I kinda feel like I only have half the story. We might know Lady Vert, but we're still just citizens, you know? Every time I see something that leaves me confused, like all these history books, I just feel like getting into the Basilicom and finding out what's going on. It's about not being left in the dark, you know what I mean?"

"So, you're a conspiracy theorist," the redhead concludes, letting the most minuscule of smirks reach her lips. "I shall remember that."

As expected, her friend isn't exactly happy with her words.

"Is it psychologically impossible for you to be nice, Miss I Talk Pretty?" Chika huffs, outright pouting as she once again looks away. "Here am I speaking about my dreams and you're just being mean about it!"

"Hey now, there is no need for such an uncivilized thing as name-calling," Cave replies jokingly, even as her tone remains the same as always. "To be honest, I do feel quite impressed. I'd have expected you to simply want to spend as much time as possible near Lady Vert."

"... Well, that _does_ sound nice..."

The redhead can't help but chuckle at that. "And here I thought having so many sleepovers when we were all little was too much."

"Good thing I don't care for your opinion on that," Chika mumbles back, eliciting yet another chuckle from Cave. It's not long until her sour expression fades away, however, and the girl looks up at the azure sky above. "Well, I guess I really shouldn't rant about this sort of thing so soon. I'm still a while away from uncovering deep government conspiracies, after all."

"Indeed." The redhead nods, directing her emerald eyes towards the beautiful grasslands. "You must still finish your history assignment, for your attempts at distracting both our minds from it are not working."

"... I shouldn't have brought you here."

"Far too late for regrets, is it not?"

Grumbling under her breath, the greenette still grabs her notebook and mechanical pen from the grass anyway. Opening the former on her lap, she doesn't hesitate to begin the arduous work of rereading everything she wrote up until now, even with an obvious scowl that only proceeds to get more frustrated.

As she throws her best friend a glance, a knowing smile actually makes its way to Cave's lips for once.

This girl never changes, does she? In a way, it's almost refreshing...

"... You know," she begins after a while, "if you ever do become the Oracle, I think I wouldn't mind serving under you. Even if you are horrible for the position."

"I'll force you to wear a magical girl outfit and _like it,_ " comes Chika's instant reply, the short-haired girl not even bothering to glare at her. "Just so you'll stop being mean."

At that, it's not surprising that an uncharacteristic laugh actually escapes the redhead's mouth.

"Good luck with that task," is all she says back.

Even if this girl does grasp her dream, Cave would never accept such a thing.

Ever.

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 _Years later, the soldier still_ _remembers that scene with a strange mix of emotions._

 _Melancholy comes when she fondly muses about the peaceful days of the youth they both spent without a care in the world._

 _Regret follows as Cave thinks about how she really should have talked Chika down from doing that one thing back then._

 _And some slight amusement reveals itself whenever she notes that the Oracle now dresses herself like a princess._

 _Dreams... They are truly incredible things, aren't they?_

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 **•Dreaming Far•**

 **~END~**


End file.
